For the three officers, their biggest satisfaction is helping the promotion of a healthy lifestyle among Force members with their hobbies.

Eddie started taking an interest in magic only about six years ago, but soon earned a name within the Force with his skills and tricks. His performances are in great demand for Formations' annual dinners, some major Force functions and even at cross-departmental functions among law enforcement departments. Eddie is also generous in imparting his knowledge and skills of magic in entertaining his fellow officers.

Believing that magic can help a child's growth and parent-child relationship, he has run many training courses on magic for police families and children. The training courses have aroused so much interest in magic among Force members that he and several officers sharing a common hobby formally set up the Police Magic Club in April this year to foster interest in magic among Force members.

Before long, the magic club made a good start in attracting Force members and their families to join as members, or attend its training courses. The club's first major performance - Police Magic Night - held on November 22 was a huge success.

For Eddie, magic is more than entertainment and show business. Rather, it is another form of art combining elements of music, dance and entertainment. But what is more important for him is magic has benefitted his job as a police officer. He explained: "Performing magic makes you more confident in appearing before an audience. You would be more capable of communicating and interacting with the audience. And you would also be able to make yourself more presentable before the audience. Magic also helps one's reflex action in facing unexpected happenings. These good things of magic are naturally a big help for police work."

"Performing magic also helps inter-personal relationship. After work, I often share the fun of magic with my colleagues, and discuss with them how to perform before an audience and how to improve magic skills. These are conducive to my communication and relations with my colleagues irrespective of their ranks," he added.

Police Choir members

Both officers see choral singing as a good hobby that relieves stress, eases the mind, breaks down human barriers, and brings joy to audiences.

"Choral singing also boosts self-confidence and teamwork. So if choral singing brings you a peaceful mind, makes you more confident in what you're doing, and promotes esprit de corps, then you can get your job done," said Julian.

Speaking of choral singing's benefits to her job, Yuk-ping said: "It has relieved me of the tension at work, and made me stay young at heart and more ready to take up the challenges of the jobs that I've never done so far in the Force."

Comments by PSG

Take music as another example. It has been widely acknowledged that listening to music can stimulate our brain and help us relax. How about singing? A study in the UK indicated that singing, no matter choral or solo, can effectively reduce tense arousal and increase energetic arousal and hedonic tone, confirming Julian's and Yuk-ping's positive experiences derived from regular participation in choir.

Reference: E Valentine & C Evens (2001). The Effects of Solo Singing, Choral Singing and Swimming on Mood and Physiological Indices. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 74, 115-120.

The Police Choir has boosted the Force's public image with its numerous public performances